I attempted to watch the McDonald’s All Star Game a few nights ago but struggled to do so. I can’t remember the last time where I didn’t watch more than the first quarter of the McDonald’s American Game. With that said I feel that basketball could be heading down the drain in the near future. Most of the prospects in the game were placed there off of potential rather than how they are as players. I know this was an All-Star game, but outside of a few players I felt that the game was a sham.
The players in this era have all of the speed, athleticism, and height in the world, but it seems they lack the actual skill to play basketball. Being a McDonald All-American’s is a prestigious basketball fraternity to be a part of, but just because you have the golden arches on your jersey doesn’t automatically mean you are NBA material. It is sad that most of these players will decide to leave college after their first year of college. These players have been told they are so great, but in reality they are really not.
I always think high school rankings are bogus, because it is basically centered on AAU dominance. Andrew Wiggins, The Harrison Twins, Jabari Parker, and a few others are at the head of the class, but many others that are in their class are just mediocre basketball players with “out of your world” athleticism. Call me a hater or whatever, but players like Trey Burke and Shane Larkin who were not McDonald All-Americans entered college with lower than expected expectations than all of the All-Americans, but their impact on the court has surpassed those were supposed to be better than them. That is what playing college basketball is about. Improving year after year and becoming as close as a finished product before the going to the next level. These young fellas need to work on their craft before making the jump to the NBA. Everyone can’t become Kobe Bryant or LeBron James, and that is just the reality of it.
Man, preach..